Simon Farm
Managed by Arc of Appalachia
653 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Union Township
Union Township has 8,968 acres of parks, 3,472 for every 1,000 residents
28% of Union Township’s land is conserved, about 8,910 acres. 24% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 19 miles of mapped trail cross Union Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
8,910 acres · of 49.9 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
8,968 ac
3,472 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
24%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,198 ft
Shawnee Knob
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Union Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Union Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Union Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Union Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land28% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land3,472 acres of park per 1,000 residents (8,968 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home24% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 78%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
8,910 conserved acres
28% of Union Township’s land. Who manages Union Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources8,910 ac
State Conservation Area · 8,910 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 8,876 | Open |
| Scioto Brush Creek NA State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 34 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Union Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Union Township
Shawnee Knob1,198 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Union Township
Bear Lake Horse CampOH DNR
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 15.0 miUnpaved · 18.0 mi
Conley's Run Bridle Trail5.8 mi
Backpack Main Trail North Loop3.7 mi
Pigeon Roost Bridle Trail2.9 mi
Bridle Trail Connector2.0 mi
Silver Arrow Trail1.7 mi
Snake Hollow Bridle Trail1.6 mi
Silver Arrow Fire Tower Trail0.4 mi
Silver Arrow Bridle Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Union Township
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 45 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 68 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
November is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Union Township →
Next door
Union Township and its neighbors
Union Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Nile Township101 miUnion Township19 miRush Township5.8 miWashington Township5.4 miBrush Creek Township3.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | 28% | 0.4 | 3,472 | 24% | A− |
| Nile Township | 77% | 1.2 | 20,775 | 81% | A+ |
| Washington Township | 11% | 0.2 | 319 | 49% | B+ |
| Brush Creek Township | 12% | 0.1 | 2,721 | 24% | B |
| Rush Township | 1% | 0.2 | 1 | 4% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Union Township
How much of Union Township is conserved land?
28% of its land, against a typical 3% for an Ohio town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Union Township’s trails?
Simon Farm doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Union Township?
66,037 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Union Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,968 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Union Township have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Union Township neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →